zero budget workout routine
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,281
zero budget workout routine
Ideas? 
Working on my finances. Practicing gratitude and thanking HP, my body, mind and spirit for taking care of me. Turning some attention to a zero budget workout routine. Integrating other areas of recovery when possible.
Additional ideas for working on improving my finances are also welcome! I lost the lexiecat link for a forum that has been useful for some here. If anyone has that, please PM me.
Ktf
Working on my finances. Practicing gratitude and thanking HP, my body, mind and spirit for taking care of me. Turning some attention to a zero budget workout routine. Integrating other areas of recovery when possible.
Additional ideas for working on improving my finances are also welcome! I lost the lexiecat link for a forum that has been useful for some here. If anyone has that, please PM me.
Ktf
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
I don't know what your weather is like, but walking has been my biggest free resource for exercise. I use an app called mapmywalk & it tracks my distance & speed, which I found more motivating than I expected. It was sort of freeing to be able to walk in any direction & not risk getting lost, lol.
Yoga is amazing & only requires a one-time investment for your mat.
Hit up the library for workout DVD's - you can get really creative, belly dancing, zumba, different yoga methods, whatever. Sometimes changing it up keeps you interested.
Keep an eye on your local Goodwill - that's where I scored my 3-tier stepper that I adore. I think I paid $5-$8. I can walk indoors anytime while I watch TV, it's challenging to add steps & I get a different workout vs. regular walking.
Our library allows us membership to hoopla digital & I can download 15 titles per month for free - any combination of audiobook, movies, etc. They have a surprising amount of workout videos available so I can rent them for a few days at a time through my computer/smartphone. Maybe your library also offers free access to digital media like that?
Do you have a wii gaming system? I lurked craigslist in my area until I found someone practically giving away a system ($20) and another person selling the wiifit board ($10). The sports & fitness games are pretty cheap if you get them 2nd hand at Game Stop, although a lot of the time you can get them with the systems if people bundle a bunch of stuff together.
Yoga is amazing & only requires a one-time investment for your mat.
Hit up the library for workout DVD's - you can get really creative, belly dancing, zumba, different yoga methods, whatever. Sometimes changing it up keeps you interested.
Keep an eye on your local Goodwill - that's where I scored my 3-tier stepper that I adore. I think I paid $5-$8. I can walk indoors anytime while I watch TV, it's challenging to add steps & I get a different workout vs. regular walking.
Our library allows us membership to hoopla digital & I can download 15 titles per month for free - any combination of audiobook, movies, etc. They have a surprising amount of workout videos available so I can rent them for a few days at a time through my computer/smartphone. Maybe your library also offers free access to digital media like that?
Do you have a wii gaming system? I lurked craigslist in my area until I found someone practically giving away a system ($20) and another person selling the wiifit board ($10). The sports & fitness games are pretty cheap if you get them 2nd hand at Game Stop, although a lot of the time you can get them with the systems if people bundle a bunch of stuff together.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 667
I'll second FireSprite to walking and having many helpful apps to choose from now. It's easy and one of the best returns on effort you can get.
And I can add a few more. Sit-ups and push-ups are also free, build core strength and shape your mid and upper body.
Lunges. If you have nothing to do this next step with, just do them on level ground. But if you can find a raised door threshold, like say going from garage to inside house or an exterior entrance that leads into the house, often they are raised a few inches. Place one foot on the raised part and the other on flat lower ground behind you. That extra depth adds more booty definition......:-). Also really good for legs. And then add holding a gallon jug, one in each hand, filled first a third of the way up, then half way as you build strength and eventually full on each side. A gallon of water weighs about 7 lbs. May not sound like much, until your doing lunges with them....:-).
Next when you get that done, add curling those jugs at the top of each cycle. Left side curl up, then right side curled up on each cycle of the lunge. Builds arms.
Using that same step of your house, if you have it, do ankle lifts. That will work the calves an stretch the Achilles.
Then if you really want to get full of yourself. Do hand stand push ups. This is where you invert up against a wall, using your legs as stabilizers, you can bend at the elbows until you reach a 90 degree angle and then push back up from that back to straight armed position (upside down). If you can accomplish this, you are going to be pretty advanced and strong.
Make that a goal. I bet in 3 months you'll be able to do at least 2 of them. Then goal yourself for say 10 of them.
Trust me ladies, none of these will make you look like a body builder or anything. But you will define and sculpt.
I started coupon shopping. It was at first a royal pain in the behind, until you find apps that take all the work out of them. I use OutOfMilk. You can generate your shopping list, which by itself took a lot of the toil out of it, then when it sees what you are buying, it will show you what coupons are active for the items you are shopping for and where to buy them and how long the coupons are good for. Makes saving $20-30 each big shopping trip super easy now.
And I saw another lady using an app that you scan the barcode of what your shopping for and it tells you if that is the cheapest price you can get it for in your area. If it is, it gives you a green, if its knows of a cheaper place it gives you a red. She was whistling through the shelves of Target with that. Scan it, if it was green she took it of not, she left it.
That was pretty spiffy. But stupid me, didn't ask her the name of the app., and I haven't had time to research it.
Next. Don't be afraid to shop Goodwill and Thrift stores. Astonishing what you can find and the prices are crazy cheap. I go once a week to each of them. I scored a brand new pressure cooker unopened for $20. My new favorite thing by the way.
Full size food processor, working with all pieces, $15.
Wash your clothes in cold water.
Turn your water heater temperature down to a colder temp. You rarely ever need water as hot as a hot water heater makes it.
And I can add a few more. Sit-ups and push-ups are also free, build core strength and shape your mid and upper body.
Lunges. If you have nothing to do this next step with, just do them on level ground. But if you can find a raised door threshold, like say going from garage to inside house or an exterior entrance that leads into the house, often they are raised a few inches. Place one foot on the raised part and the other on flat lower ground behind you. That extra depth adds more booty definition......:-). Also really good for legs. And then add holding a gallon jug, one in each hand, filled first a third of the way up, then half way as you build strength and eventually full on each side. A gallon of water weighs about 7 lbs. May not sound like much, until your doing lunges with them....:-).
Next when you get that done, add curling those jugs at the top of each cycle. Left side curl up, then right side curled up on each cycle of the lunge. Builds arms.
Using that same step of your house, if you have it, do ankle lifts. That will work the calves an stretch the Achilles.
Then if you really want to get full of yourself. Do hand stand push ups. This is where you invert up against a wall, using your legs as stabilizers, you can bend at the elbows until you reach a 90 degree angle and then push back up from that back to straight armed position (upside down). If you can accomplish this, you are going to be pretty advanced and strong.
Make that a goal. I bet in 3 months you'll be able to do at least 2 of them. Then goal yourself for say 10 of them.
Trust me ladies, none of these will make you look like a body builder or anything. But you will define and sculpt.
I started coupon shopping. It was at first a royal pain in the behind, until you find apps that take all the work out of them. I use OutOfMilk. You can generate your shopping list, which by itself took a lot of the toil out of it, then when it sees what you are buying, it will show you what coupons are active for the items you are shopping for and where to buy them and how long the coupons are good for. Makes saving $20-30 each big shopping trip super easy now.
And I saw another lady using an app that you scan the barcode of what your shopping for and it tells you if that is the cheapest price you can get it for in your area. If it is, it gives you a green, if its knows of a cheaper place it gives you a red. She was whistling through the shelves of Target with that. Scan it, if it was green she took it of not, she left it.
That was pretty spiffy. But stupid me, didn't ask her the name of the app., and I haven't had time to research it.
Next. Don't be afraid to shop Goodwill and Thrift stores. Astonishing what you can find and the prices are crazy cheap. I go once a week to each of them. I scored a brand new pressure cooker unopened for $20. My new favorite thing by the way.
Full size food processor, working with all pieces, $15.
Wash your clothes in cold water.
Turn your water heater temperature down to a colder temp. You rarely ever need water as hot as a hot water heater makes it.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 187
For finance suggestions - I am a die-hard You Need A Budget (YNAB) fan. I am not exaggerating when I say that it changed my life! There's a web-based app you can use but the biggest thing is the method. That is completely free to learn and read and follow the budgeting rules. I don't know where I would be right now if I didn't have YNAB in my life. I shudder to think!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 103
im a big fan of Daily Burn. Its an app for ur phone or tablet, or you can use your computer to stream workouts put together by different trainers. Its 13 dollars a month, but first 30 days are free. If you do the math, thats less than 50 cents a day. I lost 30 pounds last year with the combo of daily burn for exercise and weight watchers to manage my eating habits. I say, try the 30 days for free... if you dont like it, u can cancel. The beauty of daily burn, for me, is I can do it in my living room, and theres lots of different programs based on your fitness level. I seriously could do a commercial for them, cuz its the first workout program I've ever stuck to in my life and really changed how I feel about myself.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 144
Planks are good and there are lots of variations. Exercise your whole body and can be done just about anywhere.
Crunches for the abs,
Yoga for mind,body and spirit,
Stair push-ups,
Walking.
I've been finding lately if I write out a grocery list and go on a set day I spend much less on groceries. And buy everything on sale.
If you like smoothies make your own yogurt, freeze fresh fruit and greens when they are on sale.
Crunches for the abs,
Yoga for mind,body and spirit,
Stair push-ups,
Walking.
I've been finding lately if I write out a grocery list and go on a set day I spend much less on groceries. And buy everything on sale.
If you like smoothies make your own yogurt, freeze fresh fruit and greens when they are on sale.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 333
Being a natural bodybuilder, this subject is right up my alley.
As mentioned before, push ups are one of the best single exercises you can do for toning and strengthening the arms, core, and back. Try to make sure you bend your elbows at least 90 degrees going downward. If it's too difficult doing a proper push up, use your knees as your pivot point. Alternately, if it's too easy, elevate your feet on top of a chair or sofa. A good, achievable goal is being able to do 3-4 sets of 10-14 repetitions per each set. Hand and elbow positioning makes a difference on the result of the exercise, as well: a wider hand stance with elbows bending out to the sides will target the upper chest and anterior deltoid (front of shoulder), whereas a closer hand positioning with elbows bending parallel to your body will put more focus on your triceps (the muscle on the underside of the upper arm) and lower chest. Try to mix up your hand positioning so that you're not always doing push ups in the same way.
30-45 minutes of jogging nets the best exercise benefits as far as running goes, but after that point your body goes into a sort of 'power saving mode' where your body won't burn calories as quickly as it did for the first 30-45 minutes of exercise. You will still burn calories, but at a greatly reduced rate.
If jogging isn't up your alley, skipping with a jump rope is the next best thing. Arguably, it's actually better than running in terms of exercise benefits vs. the amount of time you need to spend doing it: it engages your entire muscle system, from your legs up through your core, to your arms and back. A 5 minute continuous jump rope routine is a great goal for beginners, with the eventual goal of working up to a 20 minute continuous routine. And best of all, it is quite low impact and is easier on the body (and especially the knees) than running. I can effortlessly run a half marathon without even breaking a sweat, but 15 minutes of continuous jump rope completely ruins me!
Finding a long set of stairs to walk up and down for 10-20 minutes is a free and effective way of toning the legs and booty.
To tone the upper shoulders, grab two light weights (or books) and let your arms hang down loosely beside your body. Raise them straight to your sides until your arms are pointing straight out and your body is shaped like a T, then lower them again. You don't need a lot of weight for this... I'm into bodybuilding, and I only use 20 pounds for that one, and that's still a bit on the heavy side for that particular exercise. 1-5 pound weights are pretty normal if you haven't done that one before.
And of course, we arrive at the goal that everybody wants but dreads working for, the flat tummy. Cardio, cardio, cardio! A common misconception is that stomach exercises will result in a flatter stomach. Fortunately, it doesn't quite work that way. You don't have to do ab crunches for a year to have a flat stomach. A toned stomach only begins to show itself when a person drops their body fat percentage down below about 10-12%. You could have the strongest ab muscles in the world, but if your body fat percentage is at or above 20%, you would likely never see them. When I exercise I do it in two phases, phase one is a calorie loading phase where I eat as much as I possibly can and go heavy on the weights to put on muscle mass quickly, and phase two is a cardio-intensive phase where I go lower on the weights and go heavy on cardio to trim up and reveal the extra muscle I put on. During phase 2 I drop down to about 6% body fat and have great abs, but during phase 1 I jump up to around 8-10% and I can almost see my abs disappear overnight.
That all said, ab exercises do help make the stomach look better once body fat percentage is brought down, so here's my favorite free core exercises.
1. Elevated leg crunches. Lie flat on your back and bring your knees up towards your chest until they are 90 degrees with your body. Hands beside your head, pull your body up towards your knees with your abdominal muscles just enough so that your elbows can touch your knees, then drop back down. Don't let your body rest entirely on the floor as you drop back down. Targets the rectus abdominis.
2. Sitting V pullovers. Sit on the ground on your bum so that your legs and body are raised above the ground in a wide angle V shape. Keep your legs and body straight, with your feet and head about a foot off the ground. Hold some lightweight object with both hands, slightly above your stomach, and alternate swinging the object to the left and right, almost but not quite touching the ground on either side. Each left-right combination swing counts as 1 repetition, so your count goes left 1 right 1, left 2 right 2, left 3 right 3, etc. Aim for 4 sets of 12-15 repetitions per each set. This will target the rectus abominis, serratus, and external obliques.
3. Oblique crunches. Stand straight up with a weight (or heavy book, or milk carton full of water) in one hand, hanging loosely at your side. Feet roughly shoulder width apart. Without actually moving or swinging your hips, allow your torso to drop straight to the side that the weight is on, then swing your torso in the opposite direction as far as you can without moving your hips or legs. The net result is that you will use your torso to lift the weight that is hanging in your loose arm. Targets the external obliques.
As mentioned before, push ups are one of the best single exercises you can do for toning and strengthening the arms, core, and back. Try to make sure you bend your elbows at least 90 degrees going downward. If it's too difficult doing a proper push up, use your knees as your pivot point. Alternately, if it's too easy, elevate your feet on top of a chair or sofa. A good, achievable goal is being able to do 3-4 sets of 10-14 repetitions per each set. Hand and elbow positioning makes a difference on the result of the exercise, as well: a wider hand stance with elbows bending out to the sides will target the upper chest and anterior deltoid (front of shoulder), whereas a closer hand positioning with elbows bending parallel to your body will put more focus on your triceps (the muscle on the underside of the upper arm) and lower chest. Try to mix up your hand positioning so that you're not always doing push ups in the same way.
30-45 minutes of jogging nets the best exercise benefits as far as running goes, but after that point your body goes into a sort of 'power saving mode' where your body won't burn calories as quickly as it did for the first 30-45 minutes of exercise. You will still burn calories, but at a greatly reduced rate.
If jogging isn't up your alley, skipping with a jump rope is the next best thing. Arguably, it's actually better than running in terms of exercise benefits vs. the amount of time you need to spend doing it: it engages your entire muscle system, from your legs up through your core, to your arms and back. A 5 minute continuous jump rope routine is a great goal for beginners, with the eventual goal of working up to a 20 minute continuous routine. And best of all, it is quite low impact and is easier on the body (and especially the knees) than running. I can effortlessly run a half marathon without even breaking a sweat, but 15 minutes of continuous jump rope completely ruins me!
Finding a long set of stairs to walk up and down for 10-20 minutes is a free and effective way of toning the legs and booty.
To tone the upper shoulders, grab two light weights (or books) and let your arms hang down loosely beside your body. Raise them straight to your sides until your arms are pointing straight out and your body is shaped like a T, then lower them again. You don't need a lot of weight for this... I'm into bodybuilding, and I only use 20 pounds for that one, and that's still a bit on the heavy side for that particular exercise. 1-5 pound weights are pretty normal if you haven't done that one before.
And of course, we arrive at the goal that everybody wants but dreads working for, the flat tummy. Cardio, cardio, cardio! A common misconception is that stomach exercises will result in a flatter stomach. Fortunately, it doesn't quite work that way. You don't have to do ab crunches for a year to have a flat stomach. A toned stomach only begins to show itself when a person drops their body fat percentage down below about 10-12%. You could have the strongest ab muscles in the world, but if your body fat percentage is at or above 20%, you would likely never see them. When I exercise I do it in two phases, phase one is a calorie loading phase where I eat as much as I possibly can and go heavy on the weights to put on muscle mass quickly, and phase two is a cardio-intensive phase where I go lower on the weights and go heavy on cardio to trim up and reveal the extra muscle I put on. During phase 2 I drop down to about 6% body fat and have great abs, but during phase 1 I jump up to around 8-10% and I can almost see my abs disappear overnight.
That all said, ab exercises do help make the stomach look better once body fat percentage is brought down, so here's my favorite free core exercises.
1. Elevated leg crunches. Lie flat on your back and bring your knees up towards your chest until they are 90 degrees with your body. Hands beside your head, pull your body up towards your knees with your abdominal muscles just enough so that your elbows can touch your knees, then drop back down. Don't let your body rest entirely on the floor as you drop back down. Targets the rectus abdominis.
2. Sitting V pullovers. Sit on the ground on your bum so that your legs and body are raised above the ground in a wide angle V shape. Keep your legs and body straight, with your feet and head about a foot off the ground. Hold some lightweight object with both hands, slightly above your stomach, and alternate swinging the object to the left and right, almost but not quite touching the ground on either side. Each left-right combination swing counts as 1 repetition, so your count goes left 1 right 1, left 2 right 2, left 3 right 3, etc. Aim for 4 sets of 12-15 repetitions per each set. This will target the rectus abominis, serratus, and external obliques.
3. Oblique crunches. Stand straight up with a weight (or heavy book, or milk carton full of water) in one hand, hanging loosely at your side. Feet roughly shoulder width apart. Without actually moving or swinging your hips, allow your torso to drop straight to the side that the weight is on, then swing your torso in the opposite direction as far as you can without moving your hips or legs. The net result is that you will use your torso to lift the weight that is hanging in your loose arm. Targets the external obliques.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 333
One more for good measure, shrugs. Hold something heavy in each hand and shrug your shoulders up and down. This will exercise your trapezius, which is what gives you that sloping look between your shoulder and your neck as you develop it.
Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
Originally Posted by Turtle76 
im a big fan of Daily Burn. Its an app for ur phone or tablet, or you can use your computer to stream workouts put together by different trainers. Its 13 dollars a month, but first 30 days are free. If you do the math, thats less than 50 cents a day. I lost 30 pounds last year with the combo of daily burn for exercise and weight watchers to manage my eating habits. I say, try the 30 days for free... if you dont like it, u can cancel. The beauty of daily burn, for me, is I can do it in my living room, and theres lots of different programs based on your fitness level. I seriously could do a commercial for them, cuz its the first workout program I've ever stuck to in my life and really changed how I feel about myself.
KTF - I want to plug walking one more time for another reason - it became my very BEST me-alone-time, ever. Not only was it great for thinking time, I started doing mindful meditative walking & that was a great bridge between my recoveries (physical & spiritual). I miss that & can't WAIT to get back to my daily morning journeys.
Another thing I've picked up at garage sales on the cheap is free weights - little 3/5/8 lb weights is all I need for toning.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,699
I have some dvd's I'd be happy to share. PM me if you would like to borrow them! I also walk A LOT. The Gallatin is close to me and I head to the accesses often with my dog "fishing." Really, just taking my fishing pole on a walk...
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